Veteran TV director and Cannes series judge Leslie Linka Glatter talks about Netflix’s political thriller Zero Day.
The film depicts the aftermath of a shocking cyber attack and stars Robert De Niro.
“Before I met Bob, I was really panicking. I’m working with a legend here, what is it like to direct him? It was awesome. He’s an actor you want to direct, and he gave a great performance. It was very interesting to work with Bob during this time, because he’s always speaking out against Trump and the right hates him. Trump hates him.”
She directed all six episodes.
“The biggest fear is that there will be a ‘zero-day’ event that destroys all industries at the same time. We wanted to look at this. Would America do anything different after 9/11, when we went to war with the wrong country? Would we stop and investigate and find out what’s really going on? Please don’t answer that question.”
In a masterclass hosted by Variety, Glatter talked about his decades-long career, and he stunned the audience, especially when he recalled the moose head from “Twin Peaks.”
“It’s very symbolic to be around David Lynch. He had the same thing for lunch every day: tuna on white bread. There was a scene where Michael Ontkeen and Kyle MacLachlan were in a bank vault, and there was a moose head on the table. No one said anything about it. I asked David, ‘How did you come up with the idea to put a moose head on the table? “He just looked at me and said, ‘I was there.’
“Something cracked up in me[as a director]: Make a plan. Know exactly what you want. But stay open to the moose head on the table. Stay open to life.”
“Twin Peaks” was Glatter’s first series following Spielberg’s anthology “Amazing Stories.”
“It was Stephen who taught me never to look down on television as a lesser medium. He said, ‘You have to tell a visual story, no matter what the delivery system is.'” That was the best advice. Oh, and listen to your instincts. If your instincts tell you to shut up, it will shut up. And they won’t talk to you anymore. ”
She listened to their opinions when creating her first short story, “A Story of Meeting and Parting.” It was eventually nominated for an Academy Award.
“Everyone’s story is different. Mine started in Tokyo, back in the good old days when the American government actually cared about the arts and thought cultural exchange was good for humanity,” she said.
Glatter, who has been a dancer for many years, was visiting Japan to choreograph and perform when she met a monk at a cafe.
“I was 25 years old. He was about 80. I had known him for three years and he told me a series of stories that he thought he had to tell me. I also met George Miller, the first film director in Japan, and he said, ‘This is a movie.’
She followed “Twin Peaks” with “Homeland,” “Mad Men,” “True Blood” or “ER,” earning nine Emmy nominations along the way.
“It sounds like it was easy, but it wasn’t. But you always learn. Every time you start something new, it feels like you’re starting all over again. And I love it,” she said.
“I come from a dance background, and there’s no money to be made there. I do it because I’m passionate about it. When I got offered these big, scary movies, I was like, ‘This is ridiculous.’ Is that a good career choice? I don’t know. But that’s the way I make decisions, and it drives agents crazy.”
That’s how she ended up directing Mad Men as well.
“My agent didn’t want me to do this show because it was on AMC. And no one was watching AMC. I loved these characters who were morally complex and complex, but they weren’t what they seemed. Don Draper is the man who created the person he is. That’s America.”
As a director, she’s not afraid to talk to actors.
“And that tends to be the only thing that people are afraid of. For me, it’s all about the story. What is the theme? What does each character want in the scene? What motivates them? I do all my homework and then go into the scene. And I want to know what they’re thinking.”
“Jon Hamm already knows who Don Draper is. But he still needs a director, so he needs to understand what this scene means. Actors show us something about the human condition. I love them. So I’ll do whatever they need me to be. Mom, dad, or therapist.”
Or an investigative journalist like HOMELAND.
“I don’t think we could make this show right now given what’s going on in America. But at the time, the writers Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, and I met with the directors of the CIA, DNI, and NSA and basically asked them, ‘What keeps you up at night? What’s your deepest fear about America and the world?'”
“I met a lot of ghosts. One time I was talking to an actor who was going to play the head of the GRU[Russian military intelligence]. He said, ‘Guys, I hate to break it to you, but I was in the Mossad.’ We were teaching spies how to be spies.”
When it comes to television, people tend to forget about directors. That’s wrong.
“It’s a team sport, and you’re as good as your team. This concept of showrunners is really difficult. I’ve been lucky enough to work with five showrunners who are great writers and also know how to create a show. They have completely different skill sets, but somehow in the U.S. they get lumped together,” she pointed out.
“I’ve had the best experiences with writers when we actually collaborate. We need each other to tell the story. For me, the best idea wins. I don’t want to be the smartest person in the room, I want to be in the room with the smartest people. If I get a great idea from the key grip, I’m excited.”
When she started directing, there were few women around.
“There was a dinner for TV directors at the DGA, and there were 400 men and three women there. They were all smoking cigars, so I smoked a cigar, too,” she laughed.
“We had this dinner again, and it was half and half. It’s a big change. I’ve had people say, ‘You represent all women.'” Really? Is it all? It’s still not great in feature films, but in television the percentage of women and people of color (directors) is currently about 37%. Things have changed – and that’s good for storytelling. ”
